Naruto we know is a clone who dies at the Valley of the End.

[Guest Naruto General]

I'm looking for an old Naruto fanfic. Looking for the Author and title.

Searching for a fic where the Naruto we know is a clone who dies at the Valley of the End. The real Naruto comes back and is a bamf. Anyone know this fic?

The summary states Naruto is dead. For the most part that is what the reader is lead to believe. Konoha and the other villages are having trouple with Akatsuki. And Konoha needs the help of one of the strongest Ninja in the world. Who is revealed to be Naruto. The Naruto we know was a clone who dies at the Valley of the End, prompting the return of the real Naruto. Set in an AU where Naruto never really spent his childhood and Genin days in Konoha and instead left a permanent clone with a own personality in the village while the real Naruto went travelling and training. So in this fic the loud moron we know from canon was only a clone that Naruto left in Konoha as a cover for his disappearance.

During the battle with Sasuke in the Valley of the End the Naruto clone is then killed and because neither Tsunade, the Godaime, nor Naruto´s friends know that he´s only a clone, they all believe he´s dead. Jirayia knows the truth, though, and he proceeds to find the real and very much still living Naruto and takes him back to Konoha.

After their arrival the highly capable and serious Naruto talks to Sarutobi Hiruzen, who´s still alive, and is surprised by the old man´s knowledge, since he didn´t tell the Sandaime about the clone, but then admits that he underestimated the older man. Naruto also confesses that the type of freedom he´s been enjoying is addictive but still promises to stay in Konoha and protect the village. After that he´s introduced to Tsunade and Kakashi and the former promptly tells him that he´s being tested in a fight against Sharingan Kakashi to which Naruto agrees.

The whole introduction, that takes place with Jirayia, Naruto, Tsunade and Kakashi standing in a clearing, is being watched by the Rookie Nine, who at first wanted to teach Naruto a lesson since he left the clone in full knowledge that it would make friends and the "death" of the clone would devastate them. But the real Naruto´s appearance alone is enough to throw them off a bit since he´s nothing like the clone they knew and Sakura thinks that he fits right in with the three legends in the clearing. During his fight with Kakashi they all realize that they simply can´t teach this Naruto a lesson for "messing with other people´s lifes like that" because he´s in a whole other league. After Naruto´s tested and deemed capable Tsunade assigns him to a mission with Kakashi and Sakura and they travel to Sunagakura because of the new Kazekage

I´m fairly sure that when I read it the fanfic had eleven chapters and was still in progress. I´m not sure about the pairing but it might be Gen. Any help would be appreciated.

The fic was on fanfiction.net somewhere around 2011. Might have been Gen or SasuNaru.

[Guest Naruto General]

Bad news is the fic was deleted. The good news is that two people say it was a fic called "Path to Power" by The Pro. Maybe the author will repost.